Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2012 9 Ancient and recent construction of Terroirs 9 Building of a hierarchy of wines based on terroirs: an initiative from the producers of Muscadet

Building of a hierarchy of wines based on terroirs: an initiative from the producers of Muscadet

Abstract

The Muscadet area is situated in the southeast of Nantes, close to the Atlantic coast. It constitutes the western extension of the French vineyard “Loire Valley”. The Muscadet is renowned and often spontaneously linked to a white wine.

However it remains misconceived as an ordinary wine, lacking authenticity. Proud of their wines, the Muscadet producers empowered themselves in an ambitious project dating back to the late 1980s. The essential aspects were established on: a fine selection of plots, distinctive vine growing practices and on a lengthening of wine maturation. This approach allowed them to rebuild the hierarchy of appellations, aimed at establishing strong “terroir” identification, which has led to the emergence of “crus communaux”.

The originality of the present study is twofold. First of all, it concerns implementing practical knowledge to identify the most capable fields to produce fine wines and to adapt oenological practices to express the variations of middle. Numerous questions need to be addressed, such as:

– what internal means does a vineyard have and which outside support mechanisms could the winegrowers successfully utilise to complete this step?

– The actors are also central to this study. How could so few innovators change the winegrowing process? And furthermore, how did the producers transform their vision about their natural environment, their knowledge base and their products? Finally, what are the features of these winegrowers, compared with the rest of the vineyard?

– The analysis is based on an intimate knowledge of the vineyard by the authors, coming from various scientific disciplines. Their account is established from a cartographic analysis on several levels. For example, on an enquiry questionnaire that included hundreds of winegrowers, and at meetings with the different actors who wanted to be part of this building process.

Publication date: September 21, 2023

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Jean-Baptiste MOULENES, Christian ASSELIN, Dominique DELANOÉ, Raphaël SCHIRMER1,*

1 ADES UMR 5185 CNRS / Université Bordeaux 3,12, esplanade des Antilles 33600 Pessac

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Un exemple de valorisation d’une étude de terroir au sein d’une unité coopérative de production à Saint Hilaire d’Ozilhan (Gard) dans les cotes du Rhône

The winegrowers of the intercommunal cooperative cellar of Saint Hilaire d’Ozilhan have been practicing terroir selection for ten years. Five years ago, after having equipped themselves with an efficient commercial structure, and anxious to improve knowledge of their terroirs and to better control quantitatively and qualitatively the range of typicality that they can develop, they asked the Syndicate Général des Vignerons Réunis des Côtes du Rhône and the Institut Coopératif du Vin to help them set up an approach to better judge the behavior of the Grenache and Syrah grape varieties in the different terroirs, then to enhance this work through the improving product quality.

Aroma composition of young and aged Lugana and Verdicchio

AIM Verdicchio and Lugana are two Italian white wines produced in the Marche and Garda lake regions respectively. They are however obtained using grape varieties sharing the same genetic background, locally known as Verdicchio in Marche and Trebbiano di Soave in Garda. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these two wine types exhibit distinctive aroma features. The aim of this work was to explore the existence of a recognizable odour profile for Lugana and Verdicchio, and whether specific aroma chemical markers could be identified. METHODS 13 commercial wines, 6 Lugana and 7 Verdicchio were used. Sensory analysis was done using sorting task methodology, assessing only odor similarities. A total of 53 volatile compounds were identified and quantified GC-MS analysis. Aging behaviors were also evaluated after an accelerated aging at 40 ° C for 3 months. RESULTS HCA analysis of sorting task data identified indeed two groups: one characterized by floral and minty notes and mostly associated with Lugana wines, the other characterized by spicy and toasted aromas and mostly associated with Verdicchio. From a chemical point of view, major differences between the two wines types were observed for cis-3-hexenol, methionol, phenylethyl alcohol, and geraniol.

Shoot positioning: effect on physiological, vegetative and reproductive parameters

[English version below]

On a étudié durant deux saisons de croissance (2002/2003 et 2003/2004) l’effet de l’orientation vertical des rameaux sur les paramètres physiologiques, végétatifs et reproductifs dans la région de Stellenbosch dans un vignoble du cépage Merlot sur 99 R conduite à espalier et taillé a cordon coursonné. Les vignes étaient espacées 2.7 x 1.5 m. L’irrigation a été appliquée quand la baie avait la dimension d’un pois et a la véraison.

TCA – A status report on South African cork closures

Cork taint decreases the commercial value of wine as tainted wines are rejected by consumers. Although other compounds in wine and cork can also be responsible for causing a taint, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) is regarded as the primary cause of cork taint. As cork taint is often used in marketing campaigns against natural cork closures,

Metatranscriptomic analysis of “aszú” berries: the potential role of the most important species of the grape microbiota in the aroma of wines with noble rot

Botrytis cinerea has more than 1200 host plants and is one of the most important plant pathogens in viticulture. Under certain environmental conditions, it can lead to the development of a noble rot, which results in a specific metabolic profile, altering physical texture and chemical composition. The other microbes involved in this process and their functional genes are poorly characterised. We have generated metatranscriptomic [1,2] and DNA metabarcoding data from three months of the Furmint grape variety, representing the four phases of noble rot, from healthy berries to completely dried berries.